Marco Asensio, Emiliano Martinez and Amadou Onana in Aston Villa training. Marco Asensio, Emiliano Martinez and Amadou Onana in Aston Villa training. Aston Villa have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of their Champions League last 16 second leg with Club Brugge on Wednesday at Villa Park. (More Football News)
Both players traded blows in the opening set, with Fritz squandering the opportunity to take the opener in the 12th game after missing three set points, only to go on and win the tie-break.
voy-2025Unai Emery, speaking on Tuesday, said that Marco Asensio, Amadou Onana and Emiliano Martinez would return after missing their 1-0 win over Brentford on Saturday.
Indeed, it was Asensio's late penalty that capped a late two-goal surge for the Villans in the first leg, having seen Leon Bailey's opener cancelled out by Maxim De Cuyper.
The Spaniard has now scored 10 Champions League goals in 50 games as a substitute (both more than any other player).
As a starter in 20 games, he has scored three goals from 46 shots (6.5%), compared to 10 goals from 49 shots as a sub (20.4%), and Emery said Asensio could play another role off the bench.
"(Asensio and Martinez) are both in the squad, Onana as well is coming back," Emery told a press conference.
Ross Barkley, Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia, however, all remain out with their own respective injury issues.
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Villa could become the ninth different English side to qualify for a Champions League quarter-final, and it would be their first final eight appearance in more than 40 years.
They are also looking to become the first side to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in their debut season since Atalanta in 2019-20.
Chelsea in 1999-00, Leeds in 2000-01, Liverpool in 2001-02, Tottenham in 2010-11 and Leicester City in 2016-17 are the five other English teams to achieve the feat.
Though Villa hold a two-goal advantage in the tie, Emery said that he and his players would not take their lead for granted heading into the contest.
"The match can change so quickly. The respect (we have) of them is massive," Emery said.
"(We need) to follow the same game plan. We are ready to compete, (also) in case there is extra-time and penalties."
Villa have progressed from 12 of their previous 14 major European ties when they have won the first leg and also won the European Cup back in 1981-82.
Should they progress on Wednesday, they will face either six-time winners Liverpool or Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.
"The challenge we have in the Champions League is a huge (one)," Emery added.
"To achieve something as a club and for the supporters. Something for history and for us as professionals.
"To (do) it, the challenge is to think that anything can happen. We have to follow the same idea as before.
"The result is 3-1 but they can score and we have experiences against Celticceia888, when we were winning 2-0 and in five minutes we were drawing."
